The State Journal
High School
Football Preview
Blues and River
Festival set for
Friday night
Special pull-out section
SPECTRUM, C1
100
Percentage of students
ready for college-level coursework
68%
56%
Franklin
County High
School
50
39%
36%
29%
36%
33%
0
State
average
29%
25
21%
College English
Composition
College Social Science
College Algebra
$200
IN COUPONS
INSIDE
S TAT E -JOU R NA L .COM
$1 .75 | SU N DAY, August 17, 2 014
75
MORE
THAN
17%
ACT Benchmark Scores:
English - 18
Math - 22
Reading - 22
Science - 23
Students who made all 4
ACT benchmark scores
College Biology
Source: Kentucky
State Testing 2013-14
FCHS ACT scores
set school record
Also scored above state average in each subject
By Brad Bowman
[email protected]
Franklin County High
School seniors broke a
school record and scored
above the state’s average
ACT scores in each area of
the test — English, mathematics, reading and science.
W hen parents had
concerns about their stu-
dents being college and
career ready, Franklin
County High School Principal Buddy Sampson
and high school teachers
took notice.
Scoring 1.4 points
above last year’s graduating class, the FCHS seniors composite (average) ACT score is 20.3
compared to the state av-
erage of 19.4. In the last
five years, the school’s
ACT composite score
never broke above 19.1.
Sampson is glad to see
the stagnant trend break.
“We beat the state average on every test. We
beat the state average on
students who met benchmarks,” Sampson said.
See Scores, A4
Miraculous survival Old Y may
be getting
a little taller
Newest plans include
adding a fourth floor
by seth littrell
[email protected]
Dylan Buell/[email protected]
Brandon Muravchick looks through photos of the wreck he was involved in as a child 1989. He uses these photos
now during talks about seat belt safety at schools.
Louisville Hill wreck survivors remember that day 25 years later
By Kristina Belcher
your family at the bot- rens to the mangled 8-year-old Brandon and
tom of the hill.’”
scene where he found 2-month-old Justin MuHe
sped
using
his
his now ex-wife, Kim ravchick.
He knew it was bad.
See 25th, A8
He just didn’t know it was cruiser’s lights and si- Holloway, and two sons,
personal.
Gregg Muravchick,
a Kentucky State Police
trooper on Aug. 4, 1989,
was in the middle of a TV
interview when suddenly
the reporter stopped him.
“He said, ‘Gregg there’s
a bad wreck at the bottom
of the (Louisville) hill and
I’ll be back to finish the
interview,’” Muravchick
said.
He said it was about 30
seconds later he got the
call — an officer’s worst
Photo Submitted
nightmare.
“One of the officers The six victims of the 1989 Louisville Hill crash gathered Aug. 4 at The Office Pub and
with Frankfort P.D. called Deli to commemorate the 25th anniversary. Pictured from left are Justin Muravchick, Kim
me and said, ‘Hey, that’s Holloway, Brandon Muravchick, Jerry Bailey, Janie Bailey and Belinda Everman-Marcum.
[email protected]
TODAY’S WEATHER • Storms likely, high 84
WEATHER, A12
Plans to turn the old
YMCA building on Bridge
Street into The Singing
Bridge Inn now include
adding a fourth floor.
According to the building’s owner, John Gray,
the floor will allow for additional rooms to be built
without compromising
the size of each room.
“We’re hoping to have
35 rooms,” Gray said.
Because the old Y is a
historic tax credit project,
plans for the new floor
need to be submitted to
the Heritage Council for
approval before any work
can begin. Gray said the
council has been helpful
throughout the project.
“The Heritage Council is very good to work
with,” he said. “They’ve
been very supportive of
the project.”
Currently, Gray said
he is working on a sketch
up, an architectural rendering to give the council an idea of what he has
planned. He said he anticipates plans will be
sent for approval by the
beginning of September.
At the same time, Gray
said he is working with
city employees in the
planning office so he’ll be
ready for the next part of
the project.
“We met with Gary
Muller, the planning and
codes director, and got all
the site plan forms,” Gray
said.
When completed, the
forms will be returned to
See Old Y, A5
In Monday’s State Journal ...
n For Jack O’Donnell, life is an adventure. This
week’s Frankfort Face is a world-traveling surfer
who landed in a home in South Frankfort.
n Red River Moon, a movie set for a screening
here on Thursday, is all about Kentucky, but with
two familiar faces in prominent roles in the film, it
might as well be all about Frankfort.
n Completely Kentucky and owner Ann Wingrove were recently honored in Washington, D.C.,
by the National Retail Federation. Find out why
and read about her experience.
Follow @statejournal on Twitter and like us on Facebook to join the
conversation about news, sports, opinions, entertainment and more
Sunday
A8 | Aug u s t 17, 2 014 | T he St ate Jou r n a l
25th
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1
“In my 36 years of policing, I’ve never seen an
accident that’s so devastating and then everybody survives,” he said.
His family had been
in a car headed up Louisville Hill in front of Second Street School — as
were 17-year-old Belinda Everman-Marcum,
36-year-old Jerry Bailey
and his 30-year-old wife,
Janie — when the brakes
went out on a tow truck
that was hauling a garbage truck coming down
the hill into town.
The wreck
As the trucks rounded
the curve at Taylor Avenue and Second Street,
the dumpster came off
the garbage truck, flattened Everma n-Ma rcum’s Ford and severed
a utility pole, coming to
rest in the Second Street
School yard.
The cab of the garbage
truck rounded the curve
in the oncoming lane,
hitting Holloway’s Toyota
Camry and the Baileys’
Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
“The first car I saw
was Belinda’s. And then
I saw the second vehicle
that had my boys and my
ex-wife and (then I saw)
the Baileys’ car,” Gregg
Muravchick said, “and I
thought, there’s no way
anybody could have survived.”
But they did.
“I didn’t break down
until afterward. I was
in I guess what you call
‘trooper mode,’” Muravchick said, explaining
how he actually assisted
officers and other firstresponders on the scene.
The crash has been
st ate -jour nal.com
discussed and examined
for years, even featured
repeatedly on a CBS TV
series, Rescue 911.
It would take time, but
all six victims eventually
recovered from their injuries.
“It’s a miracle, it’s a
blessing,” Gregg Muravchick said. “…And
then to see the friendships that developed over
the years.”
The six victims gathered with other friends
and first-responders on
the recent 25th anniversary to not only remember
the day’s events, but to
celebrate the lives they’ve
held ever since.
“We all have a special
bond together because
that day is our day,” Brandon Muravchick said. “It’s
the day that we survived.”
Painful memory,
happy to forget
Holloway had picked
up Brandon Muravchick
from a church music
camp.
“At the church, we were
v ideotaping Brandon
singing and he was actually singing ‘angels watching over me,’” Holloway
said. “…And then posted
on all the reports, an exact hour later was the car
wreck.”
Brandon Muravchick
remembers the happy day
leading up to the devastation. He said he had left
the camp and was headed with his family to eat
lunch when “it got completely dark.”
“I remember some lady coming up and pulling
me out of the car,” he said,
“… out of the backseat, but
everybody else was pretty
much trapped.”
Though he appeared
fine on the surface, Brandon Muravchick actually
suffered internal injuries
2008 Buick Enclave CXL AWD loaded....................$18,585
2011 Buick Enclave CXL.just.arrived.......................$24,963
2013 Chevrolet Camaro 1LT convertible.................$24,649
2009 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ.......................................$30,363
2009 Chevrolet Traverse LT.AWD...........................$16,358
2010 Chevrolet Traverse LT.loaded........................$19,881
2013 Chrysler Town and Country.loaded..............$21,285
2011 Dodge Challenger.Base..................................$21,583
2011 Ford Edge SEL loaded....................................$20,985
2011 Ford Edge Limited.just.arrived........................$24,722
2006 Ford F-250SD King Ranch.diesel..................$22,485
2014 Ford Focus SE.................................................$14,987
2006 Ford Fusion SEL.30.MPG...............................$10,000
2010 Ford Mustang GT Premium.loaded...............$20,000
2011 GMC Acadia SLT-1 2.to.choose....Starting.at.$24,789
2009 GMC Yukon Denali AWD.loaded....................$29,787
2007 Honda Civic EX................................................$11,285
2010 Honda Civic EX-L............................................$12,997
2009 Honda CR-V LX local.trade.............................$15,785
2011 Honda Pilot Touring 4WD loaded...................$27,939
2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited.................................$17,193
2013 Hyundai Elantra GLS......................................$14,886
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe loaded....................$20,825
2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited.loaded.....................$17,434
2012 Hyundai Veloster Tech loaded.......................$16,000
2009 Infiniti G37 X AWD coupe,.loaded..................$23,731
2011 Kia Optima EX.loaded.....................................$20,000
2013 Kia Optima LX.backup.camera.......................$20,000
2014 Kia Optima EX.loaded.....................................$23,987
2011 Kia Rio LX 40.MPG............................................$9,933
2013 Kia Rio LX.lots.of.extras...................................$12,453
2013 Kia Sorento LX AWD.......................................$19,714
2010 Lexus RX 350 AWD loaded.............................$30,000
2011 Lexus RX 350.loaded.......................................$32,773
2013 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring loaded...............$21,623
2008 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE coupe...........................$14,517
2011 Nissan Altima 2.5 S like.new...........................$15,887
2011 Nissan Altima.sunroof,.alloy.wheels...............$15,951
2011 Nissan Altima 3.5 SR Coupe..........................$19,993
2011 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV Premium loaded.......$21,993
2012 Nissan Sentra 2.0 SR......................................$13,679
2013 Nissan Sentra SR............................................$16,993
2008 Saturn Outlook XR..........................................$13,987
2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium......................$22,985
2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited AWD...............$25,697
2011 Suzuki Kizashi SE...........................................$12,000
2012 Suzuki Kizashi Sport SLS loaded..................$18,385
2013 Suzuki Kizashi SE...........................................$14,525
2013 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS..............................$16,985
2011 Suzuki SX4 Premium AWD.............................$10,465
2011 Suzuki SX4 SE.................................................$12,000
2008 Suzuki XL-7 Luxury .AWD..............................$13,425
2007 Toyota Camry SE.local.trade..........................$10,683
2010 Toyota Camry LE.just.arrived..........................$12,579
2011 Toyota Camry SE.loaded,.V6..........................$18,473
2012 Toyota Camry SE 3.to.choose.......starting.at $17,498
2010 Toyota Corolla LE............................................$13,465
2011 Toyota Corolla LE............................................$14,132
2013 Toyota Prius C II,.loaded.................................$16,985
2009 Toyota RAV 4 Limited loaded.........................$17,785
2011 Toyota RAV 4 Sport loaded.............................$18,615
455 Versailles Rd. • Frankfort
selectautoky.com
502-695-8900
Dylan Buell/[email protected]
A sign warns about the weight limit for going down the hill on Louisville Road.
— the worst injuries of
anyone involved.
He said he just had his
10th surgery two years ago,
indicative of the life-altering effect of the crash.
News reports described
witnesses grabbing Justin
Muravchick out of his infant car seat and rushing
him to a nearby business
to wash the shattered glass
from his face.
Holloway was the last to
be cut from her vehicle.
“People sometimes
think accidents come and
go and everything’s fine,”
Holloway said, explaining
that she still gets emotional on the anniversary each
year. “But this will live
with us forever.”
Holloway’s sons buy her
something with an angel
on it each year, a reminder
of Brandon Muravchick’s
performance just before
the crash.
“That’s kind of been
our motto,” Holloway said.
“Angels watching over us.”
“There had to be angels
with us that day,” Brandon
Muravchick said.
Others involved say
they have few memories
from the actual event and
they prefer it that way.
“Very little to be honest
about it,” Jerry Bailey said
about what he remembers.
He said he and his wife
were headed to meet some
friends. They usually took
a different route.
“On that day, for whatever reason, I guess we decided to go Second Street,”
he said.
The next thing he remembers is waking up at
the hospital a few days later.
E v e r m a n-M a r c u m ,
whose car was described
as looking “like a pancake”
after the crash, also says
she remembers nothing.
She said she’s not very
comfortable talking about
the incident. It took some
time before she would even
drive in the area again.
Never again
A reminder of the
25-year-old crash still remains at the top of Louisville Hill. Less than three
weeks after the accident,
Kentucky Transportation
Cabinet officials signed
an order tightening previous restrictions on traffic
using that stretch of road.
Bobby Ellis/[email protected]
Gregg Muravchick, currently the chief of police at Transylvania University in Lexington, recalls the day he was called to the scene of the accident on Louisville Road that
involved his own family in 1989.
All trailer trucks and
tow trucks were prohibited and the allowable
weight limit was dropped
from 44,000 to 18,000
pounds.
This was in addition
to the existing regulation
against trucks carrying
flammable or hazardous
cargo.
“The regulations have
helped to make that
stretch of U.S. 60 much
safer for drivers,” said
Frankfort Police Capt.
Robert Warfel.
City police are responsible for enforcing the
guidelines.
“Local residents have
become very aware of
the regulations over the
years and do a very good
job following them,” he
said. “The majority of violators that we encounter
are out of town commercial vehicle drivers unfamiliar with the area and
regulations.”
Everman-Marcum said
she hopes that big trucks
will pay attention to and
follow the regulations,
making the road safer.
“Obviously there are
occasions when trucks
get through,” Jerry Bailey said, “but people that
I have talked to said that
the citizens in Frankfort
are very cautious about
when it occurs, they
make phone calls.”
And violators are held
accountable.
Gregg Muravchick
now works as the chief
of police at Transylvania University, but dur-
ing his time as a trooper
he got the opportunity to
educate at least one truck
driver — a lesson that
held special meaning to
him.
“Shortly after … I was
coming down the hill behind an 18-wheeler that
had come down there
after the signage had
changed and I issued a
citation and one of the
judges says, ‘Yeah, of all
people to be behind the
18-wheeler,’” he said,
laughing. “Of course the
truck driver had no clue
that it was my family who
was involved.”
A higher power
None of the victims
will hesitate to praise
the first responders who
worked the crash that
day. They said their training and knowledge made
the difference between
life and death — but
something else may also
have played a part in saving their lives.
“There’s definitely a
higher being,” Jerry Bailey said. “Somebody had
a hand on us that day. I
think everyone involved
in the accident has always believed that there’s
some reason that we all
survived.”
What is that reason?
“I’m a Christian and
I never lost my faith in
God through that and
never became angry at
him, though I questioned
why,” Holloway said.
“Though I have learned
in 25 years why.”
Brandon and Justin
Muravchick have both
gone into law enforcement themselves. Brandon is an officer with
Lexington Metro Police
Department and Justin
is currently attending the
Department of Criminal
Justice Training Academy as a deputy with the
Franklin County Sheriff’s
Office.
“The f unny t hing
about it is I’m a collision
reconstructionist,” Brandon Muravchick said, explaining that he has been
fascinated with the dynamics of crashes ever
since the incident.
Throughout his law
en forcement ca reer,
and even before while
working at the Kentucky
Transportation Cabinet,
Brandon Muravchick has
spoken at area schools
about seat belt safety,
sharing the details of the
crash and his own experience, telling kids that
buckling up likely saved
his life.
“I believe with all my
heart that those kids
would not listen to anybody unless it was somebody who had actually
been through that tragedy that Brandon went
through,” Holloway said.
“I really think that’s one
of the many reasons he’s
made such an impact on
spreading the accident
and the testimony as to
what seatbelts can do.”
“I want to pay it forward to other people,”
Brandon Muravchick
said.
Blowout Special
to give your home a
NEW FACE for fall…
The best priced mortgage package available
along with local, experienced guidance
Daniel Ruble
Mortgage Loan Officer
502.418.3809
[email protected]
Dutch lap 4.5” vinyl
siding in adobe clay and
sandlewood colors only -while supplies last in stock
55 sq.
$
Same colors in Soffit solid & perforated
68 sq.
$
LYONS LUMBER COMPANY
555 Holmes Street - 223-1601